CONSCIOUS CO-OPERATION

It is when simple consciousness becomes self-consciousness, and apprehension becomes comprehension, that man, unlike the young child begins to perceive the relation which one thing bears to another, whether it be in the world of art or literature, mathematics or metaphysics, all of which sciences are.

The assertion that it is as necessary for the soul to rise above the plane of sense in order to "know God," as it is for the intellect to rise above the general, in order to understand the particular, is based on the truth that the child must, through education, gradually learn that a house is a thing composed of many other things, all of which must bear harmonious relation to every other thing, before that one thing which he calls a house can become the thing it is.

Man must now rise as a spiritual being to the perception of his relation to Great First Cause. It is at this point of the perception of his relation to First Cause that man becomes religious in a true sense of the word, for it is at this point that he realises that an evolution which has gone on until this moment by Cosmic or subconscious processes must, from now on, continue through conscious co-operation. He has arrived where the responsibility of working out his salvation on a more elevated plane presents itself, and with such knowledge he springs to his task, as one who knows that all things are now within his reach and only awaiting the taking and the enjoying.

Equipped with the consciousness of his Divinity, man must commence at once to lift up his thoughts to the hills of Spirit from whence cometh his help. The ordinary man becomes an extraordinary man in the sense that he accomplishes now by the aid of his new concept of himself, what he never could have accomplished so long as he rested under the belief of himself as a material individual, subject to material laws. Apparently living in a world of chance and change, he learns that he is really living in a Universe of immutable harmony, where "All things do really work together for good".

Working for Good always on the plane of the Universal, the Law will work for Good for the individual on the plane of the particular, only as he works consciously with it. The perfect way of working with the Law is through understanding, and inviting the blessings of right thinking.

We are learning that the kingdom to which Jesus refers is not something afar-off and outside oneself and one's present experiences, but that it is something near, very near, and inside of oneself, as that state of content which is based on the knowledge that, "In the universe that is filled with the presence of God there is no room for evil".

This brings us to the understanding of the one-ness of Jesus with the Source of all-Being. That it is the one-ness of all with the Source of Being, for unless the all is one with the Source it is bereft of reality. The one-ness of each individual with the Universal is a Truth which can never be offset, but the individual must know this Truth; otherwise he will never be free from the belief that he is separate, or separated from God.

It is this belief that we are separated from God which is the cause of all our problems; therefore the conviction that "Nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus", is the one which is to bring about our emancipation from all that is contrary to health, happiness and holiness.

When man learns to govern his life according to Principle rather than by personal opinion, he will not be swayed by externals. Realising that he lives and move and has his being in that Eternal order where Harmony is the only state of consciousness, he will understand what Jesus meant when He said, "Nothing shall by any means hurt you," for he will know that no thing which has proceeded from Principle, can be in any wise injurious, and he will acknowledge nothing that does not proceed from It.

It is the restoration of man to his divine rights that is the crowning glory of the mission of the Master, and this restoration can never be brought about save as it is brought about by man's intelligent co-operation with Divine Law. There can be no co-operation without understanding or true knowledge of man's divine rights; and this is what Truth is intended to convey.

One accept the fact that Great First Cause is Spirit or Mind, and we must admit that Man as Great First Effect is spiritual or mental, and that what seems to be material in connection with man is nothing more nor less than man’s material concepts of himself at a certain period of his mental unfoldment.

It is these material concepts that Truth has come to destroy, so that we may enter into the enjoyment of those things which God has prepared for us from before the foundation of the world.

We should realise that there are no material laws, but that All laws are mental for through this admission it'll enable us to avail ourselves to those mental laws, and thus rise above our accepted limitations by a purely mental process; the process of Thought, for "Thoughts are things" and the most real things in the universe.

The difference between God's universe and man’s world, is the difference between law and order, and chaos and confusion. The only way for man to conform his world to God's universe is to learn to form mental pictures of the Ideal, that is, to think of things as they are in contradistinction to things as they appear to be to his disorderly senses.

The law of Mind has no limits. We are limited in our application of the law by our belief that it has limits. We are not merely affected and influenced by our thoughts, but we are what we are, in actuality and in manifestation, that which our thoughts have made us. All that we are is the result of what we have thought.

Whether we ascend the loftiest heights or descend into the lowest depth, we shall never go out of out mental realm; it will always be our own thought that we shall perceive.

Man is free to direct his attention, which is his concentrated thought, as he chooses, but he must choose in accordance with law and order if he would have law and order prevail in his affairs.

SCIENTIFIC PRAYER: What It Is – How You Can Use It

Our faith is based upon the conviction that the infinite Mind has all Intelligence, all Ability, all Power, all Wisdom, and knows how to create anything. We can think of the most difficult thing it is possible for finite minds to imagine, and can rest in the assurance that Mind knows how to solve the problem or to create the new conditions.

Our faith is likewise based upon the fact that the Universe is a system of Law and Order, and the Law of Mind always responds according to the nature of our thought. The Law never reasons with us, saying, “You know, I don’t think that would be a good thing for you to have.” We have faith in the undeviating neutrality of the Law. It has no preferences. It never draws backs and says, “That goes against the grain with me.” It is absolutely neutral. If It could talk to us if would say, “You go ahead and name it, and I’ll make it. “It does not like to make one kind of things more than another. It is willing to create whatever we dictate through out pattern of thought. The Law is an intangible principle of Mind that operates in this unswerving, obedient way because Its nature is to do so.

We are able to consciously avail ourselves to the action of the Law when we recognise its nature. When we understand that the mind in man is an individualisation of the Mind of God, Spirit, then we know when we speak our word of Good that it is the word of Spirit which is being spoken, which is the Law of its own fulfilment. We rise far above the idea of man standing erect and calling upon the great Creative Mind to do his bidding.

For when man speaks his word, being the expression of God, that word becomes the word of God and is manifest.

When we pray, we have a definite intention in our thought and the prayer is being given for a specific purpose. We become quiet within our thought and reassure ourselves of the reality of the infinite Power with which we are dealing, erecting an altar of faith and conviction in the sanctuary of our consciousness.

Next we make a series of statements, which should flow from our conviction, since there’s no magic in the words themselves. The statements used should flow spontaneously from our awareness of the Perfection of God now manifesting.

We are convincing ourselves

If we wish to pray for an increased activity in our affairs, our statement must be so formulated as to convince ourselves of that activity. Our whole endeavour is to convince ourselves and assure ourselves that there is a Divine activity in our affairs, that this activity is functioning in everything we do. It is surrounding us with love and friendship; it goes before us and prepares our way; it opens the doorway of opportunity for us and compels us to make right judgements, to act intelligently; it inspires both our thoughts and our actions. Spirit enlightens our minds and gives enthusiastic buoyancy to our acts.

We also can state that our word removes all doubt, fear and uncertainty.

When a prayer is released, it is a completed thing. It is then in the hands of the Law and will be carried forward into manifestation, just as it is.

The person who speaks his word, releases it, but is filled with doubt and misgiving as to whether it will ever be fulfilled, has his answer right then. That prayer will be answered, but in reverse.

All prayers are answered, although not always in the way we would like. But they area answered according to the individuals pattern of thinking and conviction at that time.

If our prayers are released, as Jesus’ were, with the fullest confidence that the Law can do nothing else but answer them, our demonstrations will come thick and fast. If they are released with only partial acceptance, then they will be only partially answered. If they are released with little or no inward conviction, then the answers will be of a like nature. There is no escape from this, and no exception. Remember, we are dealing with inexorable Law, which never deviates and never varies. It knows only to obey.

The Law of Mind is impersonal, like the law of electricity, which will move into action for anyone who observes the principles governing its flow. Anyone may press the button, the electricity doesn’t care who it is, for its nature is to flow at the touch of that button.

The Law of Mind will always flow in the direction of constructive creative activity when we understand and apply the principles by which It works. We have the mightiest force in all the world to command. We can step out of a prison of ignorance and fear, and into the light of a constructive expectancy which will remake our world for us.

The Value of Giving Thanks

In releasing our word to the action of the Law we do so with a glad and thankful heart. Giving thanks is a further indication that we have fully released our word. It means that we are sure of the completion of the creative process; that there are no lingering doubts.

When one has done his work thoroughly and well, he can turn his back upon the prayer, give thanks for its certainty, and rejoice in its fulfilment, even though he has not seen it outwardly fulfilled as yet.

At some time or another we have to become quiet and in the solitude of our own thought, discover for ourselves what we actually believe, and then proceed to put that faith into creative action through patterns of thinking build around that faith.

Theories are fine but meaningless except for idle speculation unless we practically apply them to any and all problems and situations which may confront us. It is wonderful to say we believe in prayer, but what can it mean to us unless we pray?

There comes a time in the process of our own growth and development when we have learned enough and we must start using what we have learned. Otherwise we can find ourselves spending a lifetime gathering together ideas which will be just a mass of interesting information of no practical value.

Regardless of how little or how much we may feel we have learned about the Science of Mind, the only time to start to make use of it is now. We have to start using today whatever we may know or we shall find that the time never comes when we feel we know enough.

The real secret to the practical application lies not in how much we know, but in the application of what we do know. And the application means only that we have to apply it, not just think about applying it.

The results, large or small, much or little, depend entirely on the degree of conscientious endeavour, enthusiasm and joy, conviction and faith we can bring to bear on any particular situation.

No one else can do any of this for us. We alone must do the applying, for the Science of Mind is to be a practical dynamic factor in everyday living. It’s up to us.

Source: Ernest Holmes

THE POWER OF CONCENTRATION

It has been said that the development of true personality depends largely, if not altogether, on concentration. By this is meant that the focusing of thought on a specific subject or object is the one thing needed to the understanding of the subject or the acquiring of the object.

The creative capacity in man is like the creative capacity in God, for it is and must be the result of unwavering direction. “If thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light, “said the Master, and James declares that, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

A man’s eye is not single when his attention is easily drawn away from the thing he desires to be, or do. Hence the innumerable failures in the world.

Nothing successfully interferes with true and constructive concentration as the common tendency to judge after appearances. Appearances may indicate that conditions are greater tIt has been said that the development of true personality depends largely, if not altogether, on concentration. By this is meant that the focusing of thought on a specific subject or object is the one thing needed to the understanding of the subject or the acquiring of the object.

The creative capacity in man is like the creative capacity in God, for it is and must be the result of unwavering direction. “If thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light, “said the Master, and James declares that, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

A man’s eye is not single when his attention is easily drawn away from the thing he desires to be, or do. Hence the innumerable failures in the world.

Nothing successfully interferes with true and constructive concentration as the common han man’s capacity to overcome them, and so long as man believes they are, they will be so to him. The believer will be conquered by his own beliefs.

When a man thinks or believes that negative conditions or limitation are larger than his power to overcome them, he is concentrating on a falsity.

Concentration is the art and the science of discrimination. It is the capacity to separate the wheat of the real from the chaff of the apparent, for it is only as we are able to do this that error can be overcome by Truth.

The tendency of an idea or mental picture is to externalise itself, unless it is inhibited by negative thinking. Those who think in the negative bring into their lives negative conditions such as sickness and failure, those who are a mixture of negative and positive thinking, swing between success and failure. Those who have discovered the wisdom of dwelling” In the secret place of the Most High” which is the art of concentrating on the real, makes it appear.

Jesus had formed the habit of concentrating on the Real or the things that are made of God, and by so doing it was easy for Him to see through appearances.

Man in ignorance regard the abnormal as real and as normal, and then wonders why man is persistently tormented by the abnormal and the unnatural. So long as man continues in this state of mind, man shall speak of the awful uncertainty of things. The awful uncertainty is not in things but in man, and it will ever continue to be so until Truth is known, and the Truth is that, only, that which is real, of which God is the Author.

“All things were made by God, and with Him was not anything made that was made”

We shall know what are the things that were made by God, when we know that God is not the author of confusion but of peace. When we can discern that whatever is confusing (i.e. sickness, anxiety and poverty) is not of God, no matter how real these seem to be, we shall have arrived at the place in our spiritual development where we can say none of these things (appearances) moves us. Then we shall know the meaning of the words, to them gave He dominion.

Concentrating on the things that are, the appearances which seem to be, will be eliminated, and being eliminated from consciousness they will cease to have power over us, for it is in consciousness that man suffers or not suffer at all.

To fill consciousness, therefore, with the things of God, is to render it empty of all else, and when consciousness is empty of all else , then God manifests Himself as Health, and Wholeness, for it is only as such He can be manifested. Just as the sun can manifest itself only in that which is of its own nature, such as light and heat, so God can manifest Himself only in that which reflects Beauty and Harmony, Perfection and Purity.

Whatever, then, we desire, only that which is good on the principle that only the good endures, we should keep on thinking it with greatest persistency, for by so doing we shall bring good into our experiences according to the eternal law of attraction.

Do we desire health, think it, and let us never allow ourselves to be diverted from thinking it.

It is because health is in us that we are able to through thinking health to bring it into manifestation. We must externalise it through the intelligent direction of the only power with which God has equipped us for this pleasant and profitable duty. This power is the power of mind, for as James Allen says,

‘Man is mind, and evermore
He takes the tool of thought
And, shaping what he wills,
Brings forth a thousand ills,
He thinks in secret and it comes to pass,
Environment is but his looking glass”



Source: W John Murray (Mental Medicine 1923)